Telecoms: France Telecom (which runs the Orange mobile group) said it plans to invest in the production of movies beginning next year. “The firm said it will take minority stakes in movies, both home-grown and foreign, and has an investment chest worth around Eur10m (£6.7m) although the group did say that investment could be increased significantly in the future.”
Apparently with the telcos move into IPTV it has received pressure to invest in local production, but a stronger issue is ensuring a supply of content. “The new unit is part of France Telecom’s CEO Didier Lombard’s strategy to ensure his company takes a full role in the distribution of entertainment content.” By having a stake in the movie the telco ensures it gets first dibs on distribution rights, incuding mobile content.